Toy figures with articulating limbs are generally known. Toy figures having a large number of articulating limbs are not widely available because of expenses associated with manufacturing and assembling the completed toy figure. Additionally, as the toy figures decrease in size below about 10-12 inches in overall length, the costs of manufacture and assembly increase considerably because of difficulty in constructing and attaching small limbs with multiple movable joints. A further problem in providing relatively small toy figures with multiple articulating parts concerns producing small joints that are durable and have the close tolerances necessary to provide sufficient friction between the moveable surfaces of the joints necessary for proper operation of the joints. Also, it has long been a goal to combine realistically articulating limbs with adjacent body parts in a manner which minimizes any undesirable gaps so that the outer surface of the articulating figure has a relatively continuous, life-like appearance.
It would therefore be very desirable to provide a toy figure with multiple articulating limbs having improved joint construction with increased durability for manipulation through a variety of realistic poses. It would also be desirable to provide methods which reduce the amount of time and labor needed for assembling toy figures of various sizes; including small sizes, having articulating limbs. It would also be very desirable to provide toy figures, especially toy figures with an overall length less than about 10 inches, that provide improved joint operation. Furthermore, it would be very desirable to enable the manufacture of toy figures with realistic articulating limb and torso parts having outer surfaces free of screws or other visible fasteners and having reduced gaps between the connected parts.
The present invention provides toy figures having articulating limbs with a large number of joints. The toy figures of the present invention include one or more pivotally connected parts having a first joint member made of a first material, preferably a first thermoplastic material, and a second joint member made of a second thermoplastic which has a melting point that is less than that of the first material. The first and second joint members are advantageously pivotally connected to one another in an in situ injection molding method of the invention. Thus, in another of its aspects, the present invention includes a method of connecting a first joint member and a second joint member in an in situ injection molding process, wherein the first joint member is formed of a first material and the second joint member is formed of a second material which is a thermoplastic material, wherein the first joint member is inserted in a predetermined position into an injection mold, as an insert part, and the second thermoplastic composition is injected to form the second joint member around the first joint member, pivotally connecting the two. In a presently preferred embodiment, the first thermoplastic composition is an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and the second thermoplastic composition is a polyvinylchloride (PVC) composition having a melting point of about 160xc2x0 C. and the difference in melting points is at least about 70xc2x0 C.
In another of its aspects, the present invention includes a method for making an articulating limb having first and second limb segments connected by an elongate member. The elongate member is formed of a first material and the first and second leg segments are formed from a second material having a melting point lower than the melting point of the first material. In this method, the elongate member is placed into an injection mold having a cavity for forming the first limb segment and a cavity for forming the second limb segment. The elongate member is positioned in the injection mold such that one end of the elongate member is within the first cavity and the other end of the elongate member is within the second cavity. The second material is then injected into the mold at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the second material but lower than the first material""s melting point. In this manner, the first and second limb segments are formed around the elongate member, the first limb segment being connected to one end of the elongate member, and the second limb segment being connected to the elongate member""s other end.